Paladin gets the nose for Chip Honcho to take the Risen Star, Fair Grounds Photo
Fair Grounds Press
NEW ORLEANS-Remsen winner Paladin added another Derby prep title to his resume and surged in the final strides to narrowly beat Chip Honcho in the Grade 2 $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Risen Star at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. With the win, he gained 50 points at the Road to Kentucky Derby 152 and now leads the standings by 60 points.
Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter Brant, Brook Smith and Summer Wind Equine, Paladin was trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Tyler Gaffalione. Paladin covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.14, beating Chip Honcho with half a length.
Gaffalione completed a Rachel Alexandra-Risen Star sweep and rode Bella Ballerina to victory in the Rachel Alexandra.
On a track that favored horses at or near the lead, Paladin broke sharply and followed race leader Chip Honcho, who was driven to the front after breaking a bit slowly. Chip Honcho posted an opening split of :23.81 before recording a half-mile in :47.49. Paladin moved up to second halfway down the backstretch and continued to pressure the leader into the far turn. Chip Honcho dug in and led deep into the stretch, but as he began to tire, Paladin stormed past in the final steps for the win.
“I’m very grateful to the entire ownership team and to Chad Brown for giving me the opportunity to ride such a beautiful horse. He really fought hard today to get the win. The more I asked of him, the more he was able to push himself to make ends meet (Chip Honcho).”
Fallen far back into the seventh of eight, Golden Age swung wide out of the turn and rallied for third, earning 15 Derby points for a total of 35. Universe made one run for fourth, giving 10 points for a new total of 23. After breaking at the top, Carson Street got out of the pocket but faded over time, holding onto fifth place and adding 5 points for a total of 11.
“It was an incredible performance today,” said co-owner Brook Smith. “He dug in late to make ends meet (Chip Honcho). He’s an incredibly talented horse. Hopefully we’ll have him back in Kentucky in April and at the Derby a month later.”
Nearly the same ownership group, along with Brown and Gaffalione, won the 2024 Risen Star with Sierra Leone en route to a second-place finish at Kentucky Derby 150.
Paladin was sent off as odds-on favorite, paying $3.40, $2.80 and $2.10.
Perfect in three starts, the chestnut son of Gun Runner has now earned $484,250.
The final stop on Fair Grounds’ Road to the Derby is the Class 2 TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby, contested on Saturday, March 2. Kentucky Derby qualifying points are awarded on a scale of 100-50-25-15-10 for the 1 3/16 mile race.
On Sunday, February 15, live racing at Fair Grounds will go dark for the traditional Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras programs.
Additional quotes:
Chip Honcho’s jockey Luis Saez, who finished in second place
“He was moving quickly to get to the front, but I had him in the lead where I wanted. He got a little tired late. I have a feeling he’s going to be a really nice horse.”
Jose Ortiz, jockey of Golden Tempo, who finished in third place
“He came out of the corner quite well. The track played at speed today, but those top two are very nice horses. My horse ran about the same (as in the Lecomte), but it was still a solid effort.”
Universe jockey Chris Elliot, who finished in fourth place
“He’s a very nice horse. He’s still figuring things out a bit, but I was happy with his effort. My plan was to get one good run and he gave me what he had.”
Carson Street jockey Ben Curtis, who finished in fifth place
“He ran great. I had a nice place in the race. He traveled around beautifully. He was going to be a very solid third on the 1/16th pole, but he ran out of stamina. He will be a very solid horse in the future – he loves his job – you can’t buy that at the sale.”
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